A
BBtJ.Org
Site
Bring Back the Joy --- B B t J . O r g
|
Updates for 2006Q1 can be found in http://www.bolzern.org/journals/vj2006Q1.html Updates for 2005Q4 appear below with the latest information at the top Saturday, December 31, 2005, 3:54pm Mark was able to get some work outside. He put a new thermostat on the truck and painted the spots that he sanded last week on the underside of Bussie (to put the heaters on the oil pan). He also eliminated the hole in the sewer hose but shortening it since it was long enough. That was a job to get done before we empty our tanks tomorrow. We do that on every Sunday because we both take showers at approximately the same time when getting ready for our day. I mailed most of the printed newsletters this afternoon. Only have
about 20 more to go. We plan to send out the email notifications for the online
newsletter tomorrow. However if you are reading this and wish the get a jump
on everyone else, the Dec/Jan
2006 Newsletter
has already been posted for your viewing pleasure. Friday, December 30, 2005, 2:17pm I've been making some phone calls and reading on some library books that I'd ordered through InterLibrary Loan regarding the unchurched. That is an interesting study. Brings up some things I hadn't thought about before including the mention of Heaven and Hell in relation to evangelizing. Those pastors who believe that everyone is sentenced for eternity at death have more zeal for evangelizing. While I agree that we need to realize there is enternal punishment, I question making the case of salvation be based upon fear. I finally got around to signing up for a new yahoo address which I can
use for the Stonecroft activities. HQ requests a designated address
rather than someone's personal address. Unfortunately, they've already
closed for the holiday weekend so I can't get the password I need to update
the Girls' Night Out webpage on the Stonecroft Ministries website until next
Tuesday. But that's okay. I can do it another time. But
I'd like to have it ready for next week so I can report it to Pat at the
Bend planning meeting so she can pass the message on at the LaPine meeting.
She's supposed to be in touch with the person who had volunteered to
work on the Bend Christian Women's Club webpage; it does not appear to have
been updated recently. Wednesday, December 28, 2005, 4:30pm I had arranged to meet Elsie Huskey at the Masonic Hall where she coordinates a Weight Watchers group. It's 1.7 miles according to Yahoo maps. I took the umbrellas and has a nice walk up there. Then we went to Staples to make the newsletter copies and then to Michael's after Christmas sale. I didn't buy anything--other than paying for the copies. I was thrilled; the clerk gave me an extra discount because I was "church-related." I don't know how he figured that out but I wasn't going to reject the discount. I just praise God that it cost less than expected to make the copies. It was nice to hang out with a friend; to talk about our various Stonecroft
activities. Plus women can always talk about weight loss which is one of
her interests, of course. So we talked about diet and health. This evening I'm planning to do a liver flush. This is just an overnight one. Which seems to work well for me. I only do one a couple of times a year at this point. When I was ill with the Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, I always felt better after I'd done one so did them quite often. Tuesday, December 27, 2005, 9:49am We're almost finished with the Dec/Jan newsletter. That is, we're
down to a final going over and then we have to make copies for those we send
by mail. Mark has a number of procedures to get it posted on the web
and the email notifications sent. So it will most likely be another
week or so before it's all finished and ready to go out. Sunday, December 25, 2005, 9:48am Several have asked if we have a place to go today. We haven't been invited anywhere and decided not to organize something. Mark and I have so little time to just be together. So we decided if nothing came up, we'd just spend the day together. I'm thawing some turkey and I have various things to go with it. Pat Abernathy blessed us with homemade rolls and desserts the other evening as her gift to the Stonecroft ladies. We have plenty of salad greens. I told you on Friday that I opted not to go grocery shopping. But then I decided I'd run next door to the Grocery Outlet to see if they had eggnog. I was excited to see the big container of Organic Salad Greens for $.99. I'd paid $3.99 at Costco the other day for the same item. That will round out our lunch. Our morning was enhanced with an email and subsequent phone conversation
from long ago friends with whom we'd lost touch. It's been close to
20 years since we've seen them. They have moved around and are now
in Oregon on the other side of the mountains. They found us by looking on
the web--isn't technology great! Saturday, December 24, 2005, 4:50pm After breakfast we began installing heaters on the oil pan of the bus. We've been needing to start up the motor (it would be preferable to take it for a drive) but it's been so cold. We finally ordered these heaters you can attach that will help make the oil warm. We had decided that we wouldn't actually drive Bussie but wanted to get the heaters installed and spend some time running the motor. I'm so glad Mark is good at these "mechanical" things. Of course, we probably wouldn't have bought something like Bussie if he hadn't. The man across the street had to take his RV in for repairs yesterday (the hot water heater froze) and spent $1200. Mark wanted to look for a valve to try on the propane hookup. He's still been trying to figure out how to be able to switch propane tanks without bleeding off the pressure. We verified that Lowe's was open. Also, we thought we might as well buy more propane. All Season's RV and Marine was closed for the holidays; also their posted propane price had gone up. Tony had told Mark about a gas station that had a cheaper price. It turned out to be four cents cheaper than AS. So we felt that was a blessing. Enroute, we noticed an auto parts place that Mark hadn't called about the water pump he needs to fix the Luv. He'd been regretting he hadn't ordered the part as it was such a nice warmish day. The clerk produced the part, quoting $12.99. We were shocked as we'd been quoted $38 and shipping by other stores. Praise God! We'll accept this blessing. It sure does pay to shop around if one has the time. Today got to 51 degrees which was a blessing in itself since that may be the warmest day of the winter... Mark hopes that it will be warm again tomorrow so he can work on the pickup between other activities. He's out there right now doing things with the propane equipment. Blessings on you and your family!!! Friday, December 23, 2005, 10:39pm I had intended to go to the grocery store this morning. Then I realized that we're down to the 48 hours before Christmas morning. I have analyzed my foodstuffs and decided that we have plenty to eat, even organic lettuces which I found at Costco the other day. I'd wanted to buy some eggnog since it's the end of the year; however, they'll probably still have that through next weekend if we really need the calories. So I think I'll avoid the stores and go next week when I really do need groceries. My rewards coupons for Ray's are good until the 31st. Thursday, December 22, 2005, 8:46am Tuesday evening we were invited to a party with the Stonecroft Girls' Night Out ladies. The weather cooperated by staying warm. The residential streets and the parking areas are yucky and somewhat slick. It was sunny on Tuesday which was nice. I walked to the library to turn in some books and came home with several videos in my backpack. A couple of them are language ones; I'm still interesting in increasing my knowledge of Spanish. The party was great. I enjoyed hanging out with my friends. I hadn't seen most of them since we left LaPine. Pat and Wanda had made chicken enchiladas. We sat around the fire talking, eating hors d'oevres and waiting for everyone to arrive. The men did a pretty good job of talking. Ed and Pat liked in a 5th wheel in Alaska for a couple of winters, Stan and Wanda travel but also lived full-time in their 5th wheel last year for a number of months while their house was being built. Paul and Elsie are considering going full time when their house sells. So the men had RV adventures to talk about while we women mostly talked about our various Stonecroft activities although we did catch up on some of the things going on in our personal lives. The gift exchange went okay. Rather than having people stealing
gifts from each other, we just passed the gifts around the circle, unwrapping
a layer of packaging when the music stopped (each gift was wrapped three
layers). I got a couple of holly candles in little tea pots. Which
was just perfect for me. I put them on top of my hutch; they match
the colored glass of the hutch. Mark ended up with a tool box which
he didn't need. Paul traded him the wallet he'd received. Mark's
been using the wallet his sister-in-law gave him in 1990; it's falling
apart. Elsie told me that Paul gave her the tool box to use in some
of her projects. So that worked out. The men weren't really
enamored with the gift thing. My suggestion is that next year we
forget including the men or maybe go for a couple-type gift and just let
the women play. I put in a pair of my pine-cone earrings and Mark
gave one of our Linux Penguins. My sister sent a lovely package with her delicious sugar cookies and caramel
corn. Those have become her specialties over the years. So much for
our diet. After that and the party, I need to take some re-e-a-lly
long walks to use up a few calories. Yesterday afternoon Elsie came over and we did some shopping together.
It was great to be able to hang out with a friend. Especially
at this time of year when we are sort of nostalgic and missing our families.
I feel so fortunate to be able to keep up with my friends via email
and cell phone. I talked to one of my college friends the other day
who said she'd just been online to read about our Friday night/Saturday
morning adventures. Nice to know that people are keeping up with me. Monday, December 19, 2005, 7:23am Actually yesterday wasn't so bad, except for a little excitement when Mark opened the sewer tank to drain and nothing happened. He could only hear a little trickling. He came in to tell me we had a potential problem if the black tank pipe was frozen. Then there was a woosh and it emptied. Guess it took a moment to thaw. During extremely cold weather like we've been having, we've normally had a heater on in the sewer compartment. But since our furnace isn't doing well, we brought that heater inside. (We thought we had another heater in storage but apparently not.) I guess we now know that when it gets to 5 degrees, the black tank could have a problem with out external heating. Everyone says this is being a harder winter than they've had in recent years. We'd been told that there were few days that stay below freezing. Yet here it is only December and this month we've had few days that went above freezing. It's trying to warm up today; it's already 21 degrees. However, it is overcast so I doubt it will warm up much more unless the sun comes out. We've been invited to a party in LaPine tomorrow night so I want the roads
to be clear. In the meantime, I've always got things to do around
the house today. Linda was wanting to go to the Toastmaster's meeting
tomorrow ; I need to check with her to see if we're still on. Then
Wednesday is the Bend CWC planning meeting. So I'm wanting the roads
to clear off and temperatures to be warmer when we need to get out. I've
been so grateful that we're close enough I've been able to walk to stores
and the post office. Saturday, December 17, 2005, 4:48pm I'm not sure if I told you that we'd been reconnected with some people who had gone to school in Big Sandy during the time that I worked as one of the librarians at Ambassador College. Don Worthing married Kate Damore. They lived in Australia where Don't from for a number of years and then moved back or Oregon where Kate grew up. They currently live on a farm outside of Prineville. They invited us to dinner for Friday evening. Mark and I agreed that I would drive the truck over to pick him up at the Mt. Bachelor shuttle parking lot. (I made it there without any problems; it's not easy to start and keep going until it warms up.) It's a good thing that Mark took over the driving. As we reached the north end of town by the new Mall area, we heard a clunk. Couldn't see anything and it didn't feel like we ran over anything. Then Mark noticed the water temperature was dangerously hot. We quickly changed lanes, turned a corner and coasted into a parking lot. We borrowed a flashlight; Mark's investigation showed that the water pump broke. Because the shaft broke, various belts, pulleys and the fan are hanging loose. He decided we could make it home with going a distance, turning off the engine, coasting and repeating the maneuver. Without lights or flashers we did this, making it home without further incident. We called the Worthings to say we were changing vehicles but were still planning to come. We made it to and from Prineville without incident. We had loads of fun. It was interesting to hang out as 40-somethings rather than the 20-somethings we used to be. They have four darling girls who helped make dinner and intelligently entered into the conversation. We finally headed home after 11:00pm. Only to discover upon arrival that I hadn't left the water in the bathroom dripping. Since the temp had dropped to 5 degrees (it said on the bank), we were frozen. This could be quite serious. Mark began checking to see where it was frozen. It became obvious that it was frozen in at least a couple of spots. We boiled snow to make water, hoping it would thaw the hose where it joined the bus. (Fortunately it did). This got the shower and the kitchen sink going. Then I crawled under the bus to aim my hair dryer at the pipes under the bathroom sink. I'll let you picture me at 3:00 AM on my back in the snow, with dust and whatnot falling in my face as it maneuvered a hair dryer around a small space. Finally, my attempts worked and the water came on. We haven't yet noticed any damage--praise God! We went to bed. I didn't wake up until 10:36am. Obviously I needed the sleep. Normally my body wakes up early even if I go to bed late. Mark actually got up before I did to start his chores for the day. He made a number of phone calls looking for water pumps today. I
continued working on our next newsletter. I'm wanting to get it
out before the postage goes up in January. If any of you who are reading
this receive a printed copy and would be willing to receive the online
notice with link to the web page, please let me know. We don't mind sending
the hard copy if you do prefer reading it. But we want to make sure
that one does actually want to receive it rather than copies being thrown
into the trash upon receipt. Wednesday, December 14, 2005, 4:33pm We had an interesting experience. We started talking to a couple of young men who had been skiing that day--just prior to the party. After a general discussion, Micah began to evangelize us. His first question was if we are attending church regularly. When Mark admitted we didn't have a regular place of worship, then he thought he had a couple of backslidden Christians. I'd like to clarify a little. We have been enjoying visiting houses of worship since we arrived in this area. However, we do not feel like we must become members of a specific organization in order to be right with God. We believe the "church" is built on the the relationship each person has with God and with each other; it's not being in a building on a certain day. It's easy to get so involved in "doing" that relationship with God can often falter. We believe that building on the personal relationsip with the Godhead is key. Our ministry is to show people God's Love and help them into relationship with Him. We wish to reach those who are outside church attendance because they've either been church-burned or have never known Jesus. We can't do this if we spend all our time pursuing activities within an organization. There are times and places for it; however, we prefer to spend each day as God leads which does not necessarily mean spending time in a building. Our friend Brian Harig and several friends are going to Acacia Park in Colorado Springs each Sunday to spend time sharing God's Love with the people who live on the streets. They have had several BBQ's with hotdogs, hamburgers, chili and all the fixins's. He also takes basic needs items. Brian says "It is great to see the look on all the faces as they see that we really do care about them." Brian believes in showing them the true love of God and "when they see that love, then they want to hear about His love." Brian's ministry is certainly one outside a building. As far as the party went, the Prime Rib, potatoes, vegetables, desserts,
etc. were all very good. Tony who worked with Mark at East Lake came
over to eat with us. Even though we live only a few yards from each
other, our paths don't cross. His days off are different from Mark's.
We also visited with the wife and son of one of the department heads
who has worked for Mt.B for 31 years. Instead of games, they opted
to give away a number of door prizes; that held people's attention. I enjoyed a long talk today with Dee Mercier with whom I've been friends
for many years. I wasn't feeling too well last night so she encouraged
me. It's hard not to be able to sleep. It was great to be able
to talk with someone I've known for a long time. Dee and I both
had Multiple Chemical Sensitities and worked together to learn health principles
as presented by Pleasant Valley Church and Ministries. Dee moved
from Colorado to work with PVC for a number of years before returning to
be nearer her children/grandchildren. Now she and a friend are forming
their own ministry to mentor others. Sunday, December 11, 2005, 6:00pm Tomorrow is the Mt Bachelor employee Christmas Party. They're offering
prime rib. I plan to go spend the day up there having a personal
retreat. During Mark's lunch we'll get our ski passes. Wednesday, December 7, 2005, 3:10pm I was excited that the Stonecroft meetings were early this month due to the holiday season. The article submission for the Newberry Eagle is due on the 15th of each month. But the meetings are normally on the 3rd week. It was neat to be able to report on something that had already occurred. It's hard to report on something ahead of the happening. Melanie Meyer spoke about skin care and gave examples of how God has guided her life. I enjoyed that. Also got to see Jan Mathers again who will be speaking next month. She's
also the speaker trainer for this region. I'm looking forward to
getting her critique of the last draft of my speech which I sent last week.
I've got too many things I could join. Monday I went to the December
meeting of the SageBrushers Art Society. It was interesting to meet
the variety of people. There's also two different writers' groups
that want me that have been sending me information. Linda also told
me about another group. One can only join so much. Monday, December 5, 2005, 8:54am Tonight we've been invited to a concert band. I'm really looking forward to that. My father grew up in a musical family and were involved in bands. He was always interested in band music so we were exposed to that. In recent years, I've had more exposure to orchestra music. Therefore, I'm looking forward to hearing a band. As my car isn't working, I'm looking for a ride to go to the Stonecroft CWC meeting here in Bend on Wednesday. I've left a couple of messages. Everybody is busy running around now that the snow levels have diminished a little. It melts a little every day and then freezes so there are major ruts out there. It makes it difficult to walk but the streets are better. More snow is forecasted on Wednesday. Our furnace is having problems--great for during this cold spell; of course
we don't use it much when it isn't really cold. When the sun comes
out, it does warm our aluminum house. Mark opened the door to the
furnace area and stuck his head in there. He says part of it seems
to be "rusting out" so there are some extra holes which lets it heat up
more underneath rather than being blown our. Therefore, the sensor
thinks it is warmer than it really is. Mark probably won't think
that's a very good description of the problem--but we may have to end
up getting another furnace, which it isn't easy to get new ones in similar
sizes at affordable costs. Ugh--well, it will work out one way
or the other. Sunday, December 4, 2005, 4:22pm This has been a day for reconnection via the telephone. I talked to Judy Acord who is the lady I was teaching to cro-hook. They live in their RV and travel around to jobs, having their home base in Crescent. They are spending December with her family in Idaho and then think they'll be sent back to Utah. It's nice they have family in this area to keep an eye on their home. Judy again thanked me for the day they spent with us on East Lake earlier this year. This morning we talked with the Pastor's wife and the associate pastor of the church we visited. They mentioned knowing a couple who used to be part of the denomination we attended for me years. As it was a close-knit society, it turned out I knew Don and Kate Worthing when they were students at Ambassador College, Big Sandy, TX. Craig got made a phone call and then Mark and I talked with them a few minutes ago. That was neat to talk to both of them and compare notes about life and our spiritual walks--the almost 20 years since I've seen them has flown. Don says that he knew Mark's brother Ron so that may be a point of common ground for the men. We enjoyed a visit with the local in-laws as I like to think of them.
Pamela served us a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. They were out
of town for the holiday so wanted to get together this weekend. One
of their single friends whom we'd met in the past was also invited which
made for lively conversation. They'd checked out a movie called A Simple
Plan. While I wouldn't recommend it--not a jolly movie, a drama in
which their lives get worse and worse--it certainly is a commentary on life
and how easy it is for an honest person to get sucked into bad "things."
We had quite a lively discussion afterward. Certainly the lesson
is that one never can be sure what they'd do until the situation actually
arises. Thursday, December 1, 2005, 6:38pm I've been again working on my potential speech for Stonecroft. I'd sent a draft the other day but wasn't satisfied with one section. I got that worked out today so sent an update. I'll be glad when this writing process is completed. Today I've been working on potential avenues for publicity for both the
Girls' Night Out and Christian Women's Club. I enjoy doing that.
I did publicity for an artists' group in the early 90s. This
will be similar except that I hope to be writing more articles or blurbs
that will be published. I just did a search for Girls' Night Out LaPine.
That found my web page but otherwise the GNO verbiage seems to be
mostly connected to adult toys. I bet the ladies never thought of
that when they came up with that name. By the way, my boots worked out well. I enjoyed my morning walk. Thursday, December 1, 2005, 8:15am It should be kind of fun walking this morning in all this snow. My exercise has gone downhill during this cold spell. I've been praying for some boots that would be suitable for serious walking in this slushy/snowy weather (moon boots which I have aren't made for hiking even if they are warm). My prayers were answered! My feet are small so shoes aren't easy to buy new, much less used. I'd looked at a couple of regular stores but ... so Tuesday I went by St. Vincent de Paul which is near us but they didn't have anything that I thought workable. On my way to a meeting yesterday, I went to another thrift store that is off the main road. After thinking I had tried on everything and being ready to walk out, I discovered a pair of boots that I hadn't tried on. They turned out to be the exact size I needed and similar to some we'd recently bought for Mark to wear when walking to the Mt.Bachelor shuttle. The only pricing sign on the wall said Shoes $3.00. When I asked the clerk to verify the price, she said "clothes are discounted today" and charged me only $1.25! Praise God! I went the Christian Women's Club Prayer Connection yesterday. Because
of the holidays, they added planning for January to the Agenda. It
was interesting to see how this group operates, having been together for
so many years. Although the officers may vary from year to year, it's
obvious that there is a core group who actively participates. They're
looking for a special feature for February; I sent an email today with a
suggestion. Pat wants me to run it by Elisabeth, the Bend Chair whose
computer is down. I left a phone message. Monday, November 28, 2005, 4:10pm Friday, November 25, 2005, 6:17pm I'd originally planned to cook the turkey we have today. But I decided it would be better to rest a day or two between two feasts. The turkey hasn't thawed. I'll hope to have it for a late lunch tomorrow. Cooking should be fairly easy. I had taken my crocheting with me this morning and closed the car door
on the long hook. Fortunately it didn't break, just sliced it.
I got out my sandpaper to smooth the gash and then sprayed it with
varnish. So I'll have to wait for that to dry before I can start
crocheting again. I'm making good progress on this second afghan. Thursday, November 24, 2005, 8:28am It's a brrr cold morning. Started out at 23 degrees but went down to 21 for a few minutes during the low period, now is back up to 23. I've been sitting here crocheting a little. I wanted to finish up the current skeines of yarn and tie on new ones. In the meantime, the cornbread I volunteered as my contribution to today's meal is backing in the roaster oven. The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade will be on shortly. I trust that everyone will have a wonderful day. Just relax and
enjoy it no matter what is thrown at you. Love to you!!!! Tuesday, November 22, 2005, 11:51am I signed up for a Thanksgiving Basket from Westside Church to be given out today. They actually did give everyone a turkey, plus cans and mixes to make other traditional dishes. In addition, they handed me a $10 Safeway gift card to cover anything missing or that my heart desired. It made me want to cry. I feel so blessed. Although I was feeling a little pinched at the time I decided to sign up, I also like investigating an organization to see if they really practice what they preach; then I'll know if I can recommend them to others. Westside is really big on being friendly to everyone and providing a helping hand. As you can guess, I had a good experience. While there, I stopped by to say hello to Debbie Eshelmann who is the Director
of Children's Ministry. My niece, Karen, knew her daughter at Azusa
Pacific University. I have to say that Debbie was very gracious as
she made small talk with someone she didn't know. Mark has to work on Thanksgiving Day. We've been invited to join a group on the northeast side of town. I'll go at the designated time and Mark will come when he gets down the mountain. Chris and Pamela decided to accept her brother's invitation in Boise so we tentatively plan to get together with them on Sunday for something but won't do turkey. So there will still be some "family time" for this weekend. I plan to wait until Friday afternoon to cook the turkey dinner from Westside.
I managed to stuff the turkey in the refrigerator where it will
thaw for several days. I decided that we can enjoy a relaxing meal
that evening, knowing Mark won't have to go to work the next day. Maybe
we can find a movie to watch. Monday, November 21, 2005, 7:29pm I enjoyed my drive home. I was warm from the heater. The pick
up spot is in the Old Mill District. So I enjoyed driving around
a little to see what shops are in the area. There's a lovely art
gallery which I look forward to visiting again. It was lovely out--when
I later went to take my walk, I remember thinking "it's wonderful to be
alive!" Sunday, November 20, 2005, 8:24am Our current adventures are now posted in the October/November News Letter on this website. The email notifications should be going out shortly. We did errands yesterday. Drove up to Mt. Bachelor as Mark wanted to check on something at the Shop. It would have been a beautiful day to be swooshing down the slopes. Friday was the official opening of Mt. Bachelor. However, our skis are in Truckster, our portable storage unit. We did go down to LaPine to pick up the Truck; we finally found a place in Bend where we can park it. Cascade Meadows was nice to keep it for us until we could make arrangments. I also wanted to check on Sheryl. When I'd called the CM office on Friday, the volunteer who answered the phone said that Sheryl was away on a medical emergency and didn't know anything else. I don't know if she just didn't want to give information since she didn't know me or if she didn't really know. Turns out Sheryl and her husband went to Portland for an appointment with Ray's foot. I'm not sure of what his problem with it is but it's an ongoing medical need and not an emergency; he's had a special boot on it all summer but was actually in a shoe yesterday. I'd written Jan to let her know there was an emergency so I hurriedly wrote her yesterday evening that nothing we needed to worry about was going on. This evening, we're going to attend another "Ignition Meeting," sponsored
by Westside Church. We went last Sunday evening. Basically,
it's a get new people together and to introduce them to the small group
concept. I don't know that Mark and I will join one but it's nice
to get together with people. Last week we met a couple who just moved
from Aurora, CO; they lived only a few blocks from our former house. Friday, November 18, 2005, 11:32am I got an email that the High Desert Sun is looking for writers. I
will investigate into that. The website claims that copies can
be found at the Library. I need to go out next Tuesday so will
include the library in my stops; hopefully the book I ordered will be
in. Other than my walks, I try to stack up my errands so I don't
have to take the car out every day. We've been conserving gas by
walking as much as possible. Mark walks nearly every day to the pick up
location for the shuttle to Mt. Bachelor. It's just under two miles.
I applaud him for that--it gives exercise and saves dollars. Wednesday, November 16, 2005, 2:48pm I'm finding that it doesn't take near as long to get around Bend as I anticipated. In a city, it often takes long to go just a few miles. While still true here, Bend isn't a large city so it doesn't take long, no matter where one wants to go. For instance, on Monday I only had an hour to do errands before needing to meet Melanie to take the picture. I drove up to the new mall area on the far north side of town, conducted business inside three stores and still made it to her house on the southeast side with 15 minutes to spare. I was amazed. The same today, I made it to the Shilo Inn for the CWC luncheon with time to spare. I walked up the road to check out the Union 76 station. When we take Bussie for a drive, we'll need to refuel. So many of the gas stations have tight corners. The only truck stop in the area is Gordy's in LaPine. Someone suggested that the Union 76 had lots of space for turning if we planned our entrance and exit. I believe it will work. I did enjoy the activity today. Speaker Joyce Olver was transparent. She was supposed to be on one of the flights that hit the World Trade Center. However, she'd been taken off that duty because of a foot injury. She felt guilt because someone else died in her place. Later she heard Marilyn Meberg at the Women of Faith conference tell the story about a pastor who led a flight attendant to the Lord the day before the tragedy. This was a miracle because she had died the next day on Flight 11, a flight to which she'd been switched to replace another worker. Joyce began to feel closure because now she knew about this miracle of acceptance of Jesus by the young woman. Tears flowed during the meeting as we listened to Joyce's testimony. I was able to find out about the Friendship Bible Connections/Coffees
here in Bend. The woman sitting next to me is the area coordinator for the
studies. I'd talked to her on the telephone so that was a nice coincidence.
I didn't meet the chairperson. The sad news was that her husband suffered
a stroke last night; everyone will be praying for him. Tuesday, November 15, 2005, 11:09am Tomorrow I'm going to a Christian Women's Club meeting here in Bend. They've been going 25 years so I'm interested to see what an established group is like. Plus, I hope I can glean some useful information to take back to Kathy, the chair in LaPine. She is such a sweet lady. She came to know Christ as her personal savior 30 years ago through CWC. She told me her story yesterday; that was good to hear. I have difficulty in knowing what to share in this journal. So much goes on in my life. However, I forget to tell you little exciting things because I'm not at my computer when they happen. Plus I don't want to be babbling about things that wouldn't be of interest to you. However, guess you can skip those paragraphs. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting the December speaker for CWC/GNO. I had asked Kathy if they had pictures of the speakers; no. But she gave me Melanie's email so I could ask her if she had a picture. What developed was that I would go to her house to take one. She lives fairly close so it wasn't an inconvenience to go by there while out doing other errands. One of the things I did was to go by the Bend Senior Center. My father
enjoys the meals and friendships at the center in Lubbock. So
I thought I'd see what it was like here. My only experience with
these "organizations" is having visited a church which meets in the LaPine
Senior Center. I read some of the material on the walls. The one here
is connected with Parks and Recreation. All the activities seem
to be regular city classes with fees. They did have pool tables but even
those are the types that take quarters. The meal is subsidized by
the Central Oregon Council on Aging. Everyone I met was friendly and helpful,
inviting me back any time. Sunday, November 13, 2005, 3:23pm We are gradually meeting the neighbors. This morning Allen came out to meet us. It turns out that it's a older man Allen and his son Don that live next door. We hadn't realized there were two people. I've only seen Don who is probably about our age; he leaves for work early and gets home about 3:30 every day. Yesterday we spent several hours with the lady at the end of our row who is dealing with a number of issues. She said she's been praying for some Christian people who could encourage her. We did have a good discussion and was able to share various Bible passages that illustrated principles. It was quite a positive experience. Alinda came out this morning to say hello when we walked by on our way to the pickup. It was obvious that she felt a lot better today. Thursday, November 10, 2005, 12:49am I received the information from Stonecroft with my approval as a Coordinator
for Friendship Bible Coffees (also called Connections instead of Coffees).
I'm still trying to absorb the various things I need to do such
as send in a quarterly report. I'm not going to worry too much
about details right now. I've asked God to lead me in planning
and implementing studies. It's a little difficult with the limited
space in our RV. But God will provide if I'm to conduct a study.
There are
studies
available through Stonecroft on a number of topics. Monday, November 7, 2005, 6:46pm Yesterday, we decided to visit Westside Church, one of the large churches
here in Bend. Afterward services during the refreshment time, I was
eating a piece of bread and suddenly there was a crunch and it felt like
one of my teeth was moving. I punched Mark in the arm and spit out
the contents of my mouth. He told me I had a gap in my teeth. The
bottom front tooth which is a cap broke off at the base. I don't
know how easy it will be to fix. I need to call the dentist that
put on the cap in Aurora. I doubt that it is still under warranty.
We'll need to start making plans for getting it fixed. But until
then, guess I'll look like I'm in my second childhood with a lost tooth.
ha, Ha. Other than that, it was pleasant enough at Westside. They seem to have a number of activities going, small groups and service projects. They have a food bank and regularly take meals to a certain area of town under their adopt-a-block program. After church, we drove over to Mark's brother's house to visit for a while.
They were having a lazy day in the rain. Leaving Mark with
Chris and the girls, Pamela and I went out to her nail appointments.
I'd never seen how acrylic nails are done so that was interesting.
Still doesn't make me want to get false nails. I like to keep
mine short. The ends catch on the computer keys when they get long. Friday, November 4, 2005, 3:23pm I just did a load of laundry. There was a problem with the dryer so my load didn't get dry. The manager nicely paid for a second set of drying time on the other machine while they were investigating what's wrong with the other dryer. That was nice of Darlene. I've been answering my email. It's wonderful to get letters from my friends who encourage me in my ministry. In turn, I can pray for people and encourage them by writing. I've felt a little lonely in the new place. People are friendly but it just takes time to get adjusted. I have met several of the neighbors. Elinda blessed Mark with a Chicken Marsala casserole for helping with her car. She told me today that she'd been put on a bland diet so giving us one was one way to get temptation out of her freezer. Still have several other things to do today before time for Mark to come
home; we're planning to go out to "First Friday" art walk. Art
is a lot bigger in Bend than we realized. The first Friday of the
month the art galleries serve refreshments and sometimes there are other
activities. There is even a bus that takes makes the rounds from
downtown to the galleries in the Old Mill District. Used to be a
mill town by the river but they've turned it into fancy shopping. Thursday, November 3, 2005, 11:27pm I went out this morning to do errands. The snow turned into a light rain which did not hamper either my driving or getting in and out of the car. I got my first senior discount today at the Health Food Store. I got to be 50 in August. However, most places require a person to be age 60 or more. The clerk didn't ask my exact age when I asked what was needed for a senior discount; she just gave it to me. I wasn't going to back up and reject the 45 cents discount. I called Esther who handles the reservations for Christian Women's Club.
She filled me in on the meeting times and costs. They called
it Girls' Night Out in LaPine. But it meets during the day as CWC in
Bend. I'm looking forward to finding out more about Bible Studies
being offered here in Bend. The coordinator information should be
arriving in my mailbox soon. Tuesday, November 1, 2005, 4:59pm It's nice to be able to do little things for neighbors in need. Tuesday, November 1, 2005, 3:19pm Although I normally take long walks, I haven't been doing so since I hurt my foot. This morning I thought I'd walk over to some of the storage units in the area to see if they have a spot we could park our big truck. My foot was still feeling good so I thought I'd go to the next location. I ended up on a street that didn't have cross streets where I could get turned around. So I went a lot further to get to the east-west street to go back to 9th where I'd seen a RV storage place in the distance. The wind got up and was blowing sand. I was not a very happy camper out there but didn't have a lot of choice. So I gave my foot a workout. The good news is that eveb after all that walking, the swelling didn't get near as bad as it has on previous days. The pedometer said 4.4 miles; however, I didn't actually walk that far because some of the time was inside the grocery store with shorter strides. I'd like to say the walk energized me. But I was wiped out. I
made an early lunch and let the computer read my Bible passages to me.
I've done some other odds and ends and am now working on my computer.
I've got several things that I'm working on including the next
issue of our newsletter. We're pretty close to getting that done.
Mark has been looking at it and I just need to put in the pictures
and finish a book review. A chicken dish is in the crock pot so
I can do other things and still have dinner cooking. Yesterday we decided it was time to turn on our furnace. The fan came on but the noises when the furnace kicks on didn't happen. We played with it for a which and Mark started playing with fuses. It finally kicked on. I turned it on a few minutes ago because I was cold; it took some time for it to come on but eventually did. There's a store in town that sells the resettable fuses the bus carries (at least for the inside of the RV area); we think we need to get some new ones as they do wear down after a while. Sunday, October 30, 2005, 4:05pm Mark and I got ourselves today yesterday morning to go up the mountain. Since neither of us have been up the mountain for fun, we wanted to go to their Open House. Our first order of business was to go by vehicle maintenance so Mark could show me around. It's much easier now to picture him working up there when I know what the building and work area look like. When we got to the Mt Bachelor Store, we were surprised to run into someone we actually knew. So we tagged along with Mike, Marianne and Jacki on the tour of the Lodge. It will really be great when they get it done. Food service provides samples from the menus-to-be of both restaurants and the bar area. Apparently they can have beer and wine on the mountain. This has been a week for running into people "we know." One Thursday, we went to Sears to pick up the Toolbox that Mark had ordered. Since we'd never been to the Bend River Mall, Mark suggested we walk the length before going to the Sears merchandize pickup. As we were coming out, a man hailed us. He recognized the jacket as one from the youth group from the church denomination we attended for many years. It turns out that this gentleman, Larry Walker, was the associate pastor in a congregation we attended in 1970. He was moved out just after we moved to the Ft Worth area. Friday, October 28, 2005, 4:49pm Thursday, October 27, 2005, 5:00pm I went down to LaPine today for the last luncheon with Marie Grant and what we've been calling Salads on Tour. It was so nice to see the ladies again. Several told me they had been praying for us in our decision of where to go for the winter and God's plan for our lives. They were happy to know that we have settled in at Bend Trailer Park. A couple gave me their email addresses, asking to be put on our mailing list. The good news is that I'm walking almost normally now. My ankle
did swell a little during all my walking around today but not nearly as swollen
as it got yesterday evening when we went downtown. So that is
good progress, praise God! Wednesday, October 26, 2005, 1:17pm The usual question when one moves is "How do you like it?" I believe in liking every place that I go. It's a matter of attitude. I'm sure we could complain about all sorts of things but why do so? I do like Bend. It's nice to be able to walk places. I'm still hoping to go places on my bicycle on warm afternoons. My plan to try that go derailed with the sprained ankle. It's much better although not ready for me to take any long walks. Mark and I are planning to go out this evening. A natural clothing store I visited the other day is having a fashion show at one of the local "night spots." Mark said he'd take me as an activity to learn about Bend. As far as Bend goes, it used to be a "small" town but has grown a lot in
recent years. It is very built up in the center so traffic is congested
most of the time. That's one reason why I want to walk and bike
unless I need to take the car. I've found folks friendly and welcoming.
They even gave me a sample at the Blue Swallow Bakery the other
day. I'm looking forward to going to the Bend Library which is
the HQ for the Deschutes County libraries. I haven't been there
since we've gotten here as I wished to avoid their remodeling. However,
I ordered a book today so I'll go once it comes. It seems to
be more humid here than it was in LaPine. I've been waiting for a
dry day on which to do laundry. I got a call yesterday from Stonecroft headquarters in Kansas that I've
been approved as a coordinator for the Friendship Bible Connections.
I don't know exactly what I'll be doing with that. But it's
nice to know that I can work directly with Stonecroft (to offer a Bible
Study) from any location at which we find ourselves rather than having
to go through a local group. I'll look forward to getting the information
packet in the mail. Monday, October 24, 2005, 12:30pm The swelling has already gone down. We put ice on it and then taped
it up. I can't walk normally yet but at least it's not actively
hurting unless I move in a way that stretches the muscles/tendons
down there. Then I have an unpleasant moment. Every time I pray
over it, it seems a bit better. So I'm going to keep speaking
healing to it and telling it that is is okay. It will be completely
well before we can "turn around." Sunday, October 23, 2005, 3:31pm We came home to find that our neighbor in the pop-up tent trailer was moving out. He'd finally gotten into an apartment. The college students across the street also are moving into an apartment; the parents are here to move them and take the 5th-wheel back to Salem. We have grass at the back of our site. I took my chair back there to sit for a while as it was warm enough. Saturday, October 22, 2005, 6:15pm The delay was caused because the battery in the pickup was dying. A neighbor pushed started him. We went to the job fair, parking at the top of the slope in the parking lot so we could get started again. Then we went on a hunt for correct tools and a battery; we did get what we needed. Mark changed the battery in the parking lot while I went over to a meat market I've been seeing. It turned out to cater to Asian needs. They did have some turkey sausage which I might be interesting in trying. They had an ingredient list for customer viewing. Mark has been looking at locking tool cabinets. He has to supply his own tools at work. Fortunately he has a good supply although neither tool box locks. It was suggested that he look at Sears. We found they were having a sale on tool cabinets. We did pay for one, being concerned that we didn't have a place to store one until he goes back to work on Monday. The good news given to us by the clerk was that he didn't find any in the store room. Therefore, they would have to order it and we could pick it up on Wednesday evening. We'll be able to keep it for one night without causing a problem since we'll get it late and Mark will leave early. I did get me a "new" purse at St Vincent de Paul Vintage Store. I
ran over to Good Will when we were next door at Harbor Freight. I
was horrified at the high prices they were charging for used purses;
decided to go purchase the one I'd seen this morning. It didn't
have a shoulder strap; however, I can live with on the rare occasions
I actually carry my regular purse these days. Mostly I wear a
fanny pack which is large enough for my phone, camera, coin purse, ink
pen, and cough drops. Wednesday, October 19, 2005, 4:15pm This morning I walked south to Fred Meyer today. It's kind of like a Super Target, striking one as being "nice." More like walking into JC Penney except they have groceries. One of the clerks told me they have a number of people who come early to walk around the store for exercise during the winter. I've heard of "mall walking" but never thought about doing it inside a store. I did a load of laundry this morning. The gas dryers here costs 75
cents for 40 minutes. Darlene says most of the time one run will do it. I'll
plan to check humidity before I do wash. I miss the dryers at Fountain
Creek where you could just add another quarter for more time. Plus
if you didn't use all the time, you could leave the door open (time remaining
would be saved) so someone else could be blessed. This brand of dryers
tick away the time even if the door is opened--I found out the hard way at
Cascade Meadows. I'm expecting Mark home pretty soon. He's still been driving the pickup to Mt Bachelor. He wants to start taking the shuttle. However, he's heard from some of the guys that the hours it runs ends up shorting a person so they don't get their full 8 hours in. That's strange. Hopefully they'll have the new employee orientation soon so he can ask about it. We're trying to figure out reading the electricity meter so we can keep
track of our potential expenses. This is the first time we've
had to separately pay electricity since we've lived in Bussie. I
turned on the electric heater for a few minutes this morning as it was
overcast. But when the sun came out, it started heating the "house."
We haven't turned on the propane furnace yet this winter. Tuesday, October 18, 2005, 6:59pm It was quite an adventure. I was ready when Mark came home. We put the satellite dish down, turned off the computer, pulled the plug on the electricity and headed out. We made it almost to Bend when I saw (in my rear view mirror--I was driving
the Luv) Bussie pull off the road. Via cell phone, he told me
to turn around and come back. The passenger side mirror had come
off and since he was on an incline, diesel was pouring out. I
had Mark's socket set with me in the truck. Once I got back there,
it was only a matter of seconds before he had the mirror back in place.
I'm sure he needs to do a better fix for the future but at least
it held. We made it and got into our spot while it was still daylight. Darkness fell while we were still hooking up but we got it done with the aid of a flashlight. Then we walked over to Del Taco for dinner before going to the grocery store. It's not a good thing to shop while hungry. Guess we proved that as we bought only a canteloupe and a dozen eggs. I've been waiting until getting to Bend so I'd have a variety of grocery stores. Grocery Outlet is in the shopping center just north of our RV park. They have good prices one doesn't go their to purchase the entire shopping list. One of my friends told me they go there first to see what they have cheap this week and then go a regular grocery. Seems like a reasonable way to do it. It's the type of store where you "luck into stuff" but it's not always going to be there. We only bought eggs and a cantaloupe. This morning I ventured out. Chris Rinehart who works at Cascade Meadows had a stroke recently and has been in the hospital. She's now in rehabilitation so I wanted to visit her now that we are in Bend. I thought she looked pretty good. They're going to let her go home for a visit on Friday. Her left leg is has been paralyzed but she had gotten a slight movement that morning so is encouraged. After the hospital, I went to Wild Oats and then ventured to the west side
of Bend to find Ray's Food Place. I've been going to Rays in LaPine
so wanted to see what the Bend store is like. It's very nice
and had a nice variety of organic produce. West Bend is the new
fancy section of town; the store certainly reflects that. Our cell phone booster doesn't seem to be working. We'll have to investigate that another day. But at least we do have signal here in Bend that is acceptible so it could be worse. But obviously we need to figure out about the booster. When Mark got home we took the bicycles off the bike rack which is attached
to Tracker. I'd tried earlier but couldn't turn the bolt on
the hooks that slide up and down to keep the bikes on the rack. We've
hooked them to the pole where the electrical box is. For the moment
the bike rack will stay on the car. Monday, October 17, 2005, 4:15pm Mark told me something interesting yesterday. Apparently Mt Bachelor doesn't want all their male employees to be wearing beards. They have a rule that if you have a beard when you start working for them, you can keep it but can't regrow it if you shave it off. A previously beardless employ cannot grow one. Guess it's a good thing Mark didn't shave off his beard in order to impress a prospective employer. His skin is sensitive and does much better without having the irritation of shaving. He's only shaved it off once (for a few days only) since fall 1988. I tried something new today in my Bible Reading. ( We have the MP3 files
of the Bible being read. In our Links section (on the left),
look under Faith Based - Resources, then click on Free MP3s of the
King James Bible. This will send you to the website where you
can either listen online or download the files for yourself.) I decided
to turn on a reading. Then I was following along in the Bible
I had handy which was the New Century Version. Hearing the reading
in one version and seeing different words in the print version really
made one think about what was being said. Were the meanings the same?
I really enjoyed it. You might want to try that some time. Monday, October 17, 2005, 7:19am Eventually he figured out that the switch between the house batteries and the vehicle batteries was fried. He quickly made the fix and the motor started instantly. However, it was late enough in the day by that time that we knew the dark would catch us. It's no fun to be moving into a new RV park in the dark. We ran on tanks last night with just the electricity hooked up. I'll have everything ready when he arrives home. He'll just need to shut down the big computer and unplug the electricity. Then we should be able to roll. In the meantime, I'm having a day when I don't have to go to work outside
my home. And I'm not doing any shopping or errands that will
take up time. I will enjoy a long morning walk. It's just
below freezing. Saturday, October 15, 2005, 11:18am I've been enjoying puttering around the kitchen doing some cleaning while listening with Mark to some of the podcasts on The God Journey website. These informative discussions with Wayne and Brad are quite interesting on the subject of fellowship in Christ. They involve letters from listeners and include interviews with callers. The focus is the journey into relationship with God. Mark brought me a bathrobe yesterday. The shop had received a bundle of old clothes to be used for rags from St. Vincent de Paul. He picked up what looked to be a large towel but he quickly recognized it as a bathrobe made of toweling material; looking it over, it didn't look bad at all except for missing the belt. So he asked if he could take it home to his wife. I'm really pleased; I've been wanting one "like this" as the one I have had is floor length and has a zipper. It's just not practical to throw on quickly. Mark also brought me a towel of a contrasting color from which I can easily make a belt. Mark is very good about remembering what one expresses and tries to fulfill wishes--even if it is something as practical as a bathrobe. (He's been with me all the times I've tried on and rejected robes for various reasons.) He also brought me a t-shirt with a kitty on the front. As far as it goes, Mark is enjoying his new job at the Mt Bachelor vehicle
maintenance shop. He's been working on repairing a snow cat.
I'm hoping to be able to work on my skiing skis since we'll
get a season pass as part of the benefits. You will remember that I
took lessons in 2003. I hope they have an easy intermediate slope. Friday, October 14, 2005, 11:21am I've had a nice send-off from Cascade Meadows. They gave me a card
with a $50 bill in it. And a Devotional book from Wilma, 2 Cascade
Meadows t-shirts and dinner for two. In case you wondered, they
decided not to wait until my last day because we were iffy about which
day we'll actually be leaving. Since we are moving Bussie to Bend tomorrow, I've been trying to start getting ready. I put the TV antenna down; we haven't wanted much TV this summer as the signal isn't good. Seems like every time I turned on the one station we got, either a court program or The Simpsons was on. I've been cleaning on the carpet. A number of stains have "happened"
over the last few months. I'm doing a thorough vacuuming and
cleaning spots. Roberta Smeltzer told me about a carpet cleaner
called Folex. She buys it at Walmart but the only place I've
found it here was Safeway. I want to eventually get out my Green Machine
and clean the whole thing. I'll want to do it on a couple of warm
days so the carpets will dry quickly. Had hoped to do it this week
but just didn't have the energy to do it. I received and filled out the paperwork to be a Friendship Bible Coffee
Coordinator. I wanted to do it so I can order materials directly.
This way although I will send reports to someone, I won't be
directly tied to the local group. The woman I've been dealing
with told me that a number of RVers are set up as coordinators. Tuesday, October 11, 2005, 8:51am I'd been told that there was no way that we could hook into that 50 amp box (the one we'd seen that is right behind the site we are to occupy). But Mark was patient and favor (thank you, Lord)was bestowed upon us. As the two electrical boxes are within a few feet of each other, plus the fact that only very small RVs are put into site 18, Darlene came to see that it wouldn't be a problem to just switch the numbers on the boxes and let us use the higher amperage. Hallalujah. We want to be good stewards of the finances that God gives us. The other RV park in the area had two sites they could put us in, the cheapest being $55 more a month than Bend Trailer Park; that buys quite a bit of electricity which we still have to pay in addition to space rent. BTP is right in the middle of everything. I'll be able to walk to the regular grocery store. I'll probably choose one day for making the loop to do errands that are farther afield. Mark showed me where the Bi-Mart is. That's a smaller chain that is similar to Walmart but smaller. While we were at BTP checking out the amps, we were introduced to a woman
who said that she is a chaplain for three prisons in this area.
She was interested to hear about our ministry. Saturday, October 8, 2005, 8:04am itI met an artist in one store who gave me information on the art club of which she is a part so I'll check that out. She also invited me to a show and reception she's having next Friday--but recognized if we are moving next Saturday that we probably won't want to drive up to Bend. The first place we went to had an artist drawing a still life between talking to people. She served wonderful soft gingersnaps. My taste buds were in ecstasy. We stopped by the trailer park on our way home to check the amps in our allotted space. Mark had forgotten to ask. It is indeed a 50 amp site so we're okay. We will have to arrange to have our own power hooked up. We haven't ever paid for power. Tony told Mark that he pays about $25 which is hard to believe put then he may be paying a fortune in propane for heat. The office manager told Mark that she pays about $150. We'll just have to experience it ourselves. I told Mark I will probably live in my sweatsuits. We plan to move next Saturday or Sunday. In the meantime, I'm still working at the RV park in exchange for our space.
I'm the only volunteer left. Today I'm supposed to close down
the booth that I've worked in all summer. Then next week I'll work
at the office in the afternoons except I'll go in early and leave early on
Thursday as I have a meeting. Guest traffic has slowed down so it won't
be too busy. Friday, October 7, 2005, 5:05pm The news is that Mark is starting a new job on Monday at Mt. Bachelor,
the ski resort. I didn't mention on Wednesday that he was
going to an interview that day. This is for a mechanic position.
He's done a lot of that over the years but mostly for himself
rather than for a repair business. The man who interviewed him
said that he was more concerned that an employee be interested in what
he's doing, interact well with co-workers and the public, and show up on
time--than have lots of experience. Eight days from now we plan to start up Bussie and move her to "town."
We'd wanted to go to a warmer location. All opportunities
seem to point to Bend rather than to the coast. Bend is warmer
than LaPine by about 10 degrees. Tony suggested we ask at BTP.
I'd seen it on one of my trips to town and we drove through the
other day. They have one space long enough to fit us in. We
thought we'd give it a try as the rent is low for Bend. However,
they pride themselves on running a "clean" park without drugs or messy looking
spaces. The first time I had gone there, I noticed how neat everything
was. There are a couple of grocery stores within walking distance.
I will investigate what's within an easy range by walking a mile
in either direction. I know Walmart and Wild Oats are a little far
if one has much to carry. Wednesday, October 5, 2005, 9:49am Tomorrow evening if the Prayer and Planning Tea for the next Girls' Night
Out. I'll be excited to show them the article in the October
Newberry Eagle. I am so excited! Now that I've finally made it to my computer, I need to finish going through emails. I think I wrote the other day that they'd stacked up. I also have other writing I need to do. But I wanted to post to this journal first. I've been reading a series of books by Jan Karon about a Episcopalian priest in a small US town called Mitford. It's one of these folksy book where you get to know the characters. Paula Moldenhauer told me about these books. Her website is http://www.soulscents.us She is involved in Homeschooling and writes a wonderful devotional every week. We are still considering about our plans for the winter. We haven't heard from God that we need to move to another state. Although my friends here in LaPine don't want us to leave, we anticipate relocating to Bend in the next couple of weeks as our jobs finish. We've been asking God to direct us to the RV park where we will do the most good. Potential opportunities seem to keep popping up in Bend; therefore, it looks like that would be a better location for us. We've been very blessed here and God led us to Cascade Meadows at a time
when we were feeling low and sort of defeated. The people
here have been most supportive. I can still do things with
the LaPine ladies on occasion and help them with the articles if I
am still in this general area. I'll pray for good weather on
days that I might want to drive back down here. Tuesday, October 4, 2005, 6:52am I decided to again go to the Nazarene Bible Study today and will stay to have lunch with Inez and Marie. Marie had suggested going to Bend but when we put our heads together, our schedules didn't work traveling a distance. I need to get back to work. Originally, our work was scheduled to end last weekend. However, as both Jan and I will be around for a little longer, they have asked us to work as long as we are here (which continues to supply the free space). Sheryl is trying to figure out how to keep the office/registration open as much as possible without her having to work every day of the week. Monday, October 3, 2005, 9:05am I took my crochet with me. That caused quite a discussion. Jacki showed me something called finger knitting and finger crocheting. That's quite fascinating and a fun thing for children to do. During our drive to Bend, I received a call from one of my friends who is learning to do the cro-hooking. She was having a problem. Unfortunately, without the instructions on the pattern she was following, I couldn't help her. We've been playing telephone tag ever since. I looked at the pattern and figured out where she was having the problem. I left an explanation on her machine so I hope she's gotten past it. But I'm still trying to reach her. They are away on another job so we can't just do this in person. Yesterday, we visited the Nazarene church. The adult class was really
good about knowing the will of God. The pastor is going through
Romans during the sermon time. The potluck was delicious and
we had enjoyable conversation with several people who took an interest
in RVing and our ministry. Saturday, October 1, 2005, 6:48pm Last winter a pregnant cat showed up. They adopted Mama Cat and had her spayed. The one baby is a tom who they want to stay wild so he can be a good mouser rather than a pampered darling. Today, when I was at work, Mama Cat was feeling so lonely. Kim had taken care of her and then Carol took over. Kim moved to Bend a few weeks ago and Carol and Roger pulled out yesterday. (Now the cat is supposed to be fed by Sheryl and Ray. They like cats and have two inside cats but also have a dog called Tank. He's a short haired dog of some kind and is possessive of his property (golf cart included) but he has personality that makes people like him once he quits growling at "the stranger.") My guess is that Mama Cat is feeling a little bereft. She jumped up on the door divider today and insisted on being friendly. I was trying to help a customer and just couldn't keep her off the desk. It was frustrating. But I did enjoy getting to love on a kitty. She finally got enough and went about her business. This evening we took Bob and Sue Price over to Brother Chris's LaPine
house. They've sold their house and are looking for another in which
to invest. Chris and Pamela have been renovating this house; still
have a number of things to go. However, Bob and Sue don't insist on
something being perfect. Nothing may come of it but we thought it would
be good to get the two parties together. Above is the Journal for 2005Q4. Here is the previous Journal |
> Click Here to find out about Partnering with BBtJ.Org > Click Here for links to supporters who asked to be listed Advertisements: BBtJ.Org does not control the content of the following ads, please use at your own discretion 
If you come back to click here first every time you shop Amazon, it would be much appreciated. It won't cost you any more, but BBtJ.org's finances would benefit. Thanks for your support
|